Indian jailed for 14 months in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, June 16 (IANS) A Cambodian court on Thursday sentenced an Indian man to 14 months in prison for sexually abusing an underage girl, an anti-pedophile agency said.

Raj Deo, 46, a cloth seller living in the northwestern province of Siem Reap, was convicted of “indecent assault” against a girl aged 14, said a statement from child protection NGO Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE).

The Siem Reap Provincial Court also ordered the Indian to pay $750 in compensation to the victim.

Raj Deo was arrested by Siem Reap Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile protection police in December after receiving a complaint from the victim.

Cambodia launched an anti-pedophile operation in 2003 in a bid to end its reputation as a haven for child sex offenders. Since then, dozens of foreigners have been imprisoned for child sex crimes.